The Hooksett Banner ­ June 24, 2004

This week's stories: (click on the headline to jump to story)

Caught in act Town Council waits for help on cuts Mill not required to pay for fire watch Sandler surprises Central grads again Hooksett's oldest school building closes after 67 years

Are you interested in chatting about Hooksett issues? Want to help plan Hooksett's future? Check out the new Internet chat group begun by the master plan committee at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hooksett_chat/ Auburn has a similar group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auburn/

COLOR="#ff0000"Pembroke/Allenstown

Caught in the act

Pembroke man accused of stalking

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

A Pembroke man is facing stalking charges after allegedly terrorizing a number of area young women. John Strachan, 43, of 7 Sherwood Meadows, Pembroke, was arrested by police on Thursday, June 17, in connection to a series of obscene phone calls and mail sent to a number of young women in Pembroke, Allenstown and Bow. Pembroke Police Lt. Scott Lane said that for several months, at least three Pembroke women, aged 16, 18 and 21, have been receiving phone calls and letters that included pornographic pictures. Lane said the break finally came on June 7, when Strachan made several hang-up phone calls to one of the victims. The victim recognized the number on her Caller ID as a pay phone in Pembroke across from the Bi-Wise Market in Allenstown.

John Strachan

"She called a friend who was right near the phone booth and said go check it out for me," Lane said. "So the friend drives over and sees Strachan's vehicle leaving the area, gets the plate numbers for us."

Upon investigation, Lane said his department found that Strachan was a former manager at Bi-Wise, where all three victims had worked. Police executed a search warrant on Strachan's home on June 11, during which Lane said further evidence was collected.

Strachan turned himself in to police, who charged him with 11 counts of obscene matters and two counts of stalking. Both are Class A misdemeanor charges with a maximum penalty of $1,000 fine or one year in prison.

That was only the start of Strachan's legal troubles, as Bow and Hopkinton police believe he was also stalking a number of young women in their towns.

Bow acting Police Chief Michael Tessier said his department booked Strachan on June 17 with 36 charges of obscene matters.

Tessier said Strachan allegedly targeted six victims in Bow, ages 11 to 18.

Tessier was reluctant to reveal what connection the Bow victims had with Strachan, citing the continuing investigation.

Hopkinton Police Chief David Wheeler said his department has also been involved with the investigation and now is preparing to file charges of its own.

Wheeler said a 17-year-old high school student had been receiving obscene phone calls and mail, similar to the victims in Bow and Pembroke.

Wheeler said the girl had not been an employee of the Bi-Wise, and his department did not believe she had a personal connection with Strachan.

"There was no connection whatsoever," he said. "The only thing we can determine is that her name and photograph ended up in the paper in the sports section."

Both Wheeler and Tessier said that all three departments had cooperated well on the investigation and connecting victims.

"It was a really tremendous joint investigation between all the departments," Tessier said. "Obviously Pembroke was the lead, because they were the ones that broke it open, but the followup investigation was a tremendous cooperation between agencies."
Lane said his department's investigation started in December of 2003, when the three Pembroke victims first reported the harassment.

The investigation became public in May. At that time, Lane said that at least some of the letters and calls made references to what victims had been wearing. This indicated it was more than just a prank or random targeting, Lane said.

Lane said that in addition to help from Bow and Hopkinton, his department has been working with other agencies including the Postal Inspector's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

"Actually we had started a profiling process with the FBI using their experts in Quantico," he said.

Hooksett

Town Council waits for help on cuts

By DEVON CORMIER
Staff Writer
dcormier@yourneighborhoodnews.com

The new town administrator, Moni Sharma, will have his plate full when he gets to office in early August.

The Hooksett Town Council met to discuss the default budget on Monday, June 14, but decided to do nothing. The council tried to find money for the fire department and a full-time assessor, but couldn't agree on where the money should come from.

The proposed budget was voted down at Town Meeting in May, leaving some programs devastated. Cuts may close down the Village Fire Station and leave Hooksett without a full-time assessor to keep data accurate.

Chairman Michael DiBitetto said the town council will wait for Sharma to take office and analyze the situation before taking further action.

"One of the expressed opinions is that we have a new administrator coming in and before we tweak the budget it's best to allow the administrator to take the lay of the land and advise us on how he would like to see the budget," DiBitetto said.

With time left before the new budget year arrives, the only thing that caught a majority vote was a directive to tell the department heads they need to adhere to the default budget.

The council spent a lot of time trying find $85,000 for the fire station, and $45,000 for a full-time assessor. While DiBitetto wanted funds to come out of the paving budget, Councilor Patricia Rueppel wanted the money to come from plowing funds.

Rueppel said she is upset Hooksett may be facing the third default budget in her tenure, and that it will force cuts to many programs.

"We may have to cut services, such as shortening library hours, perhaps closing Town Hall one day, closing the Village Fire Station and looking into either doing away with garbage pick-up or picking up less," Rueppel said. "The residents should recycle more. Perhaps even cutting down extensive plowing of the roads. Let people buy snow blowers."

DiBitetto was also disappointed that the council couldn't find a way to fund the fire station and an assessor. The station needs another $85,000 in order to keep the second station open.

"I thought we had an opportunity to address the situation," DiBitetto said. "There was support for the assessor and a significant amount of support for funding the fire department. The disagreement was where the money would come from."

Allenstown

Mill not required to pay for fire watch

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

After several weeks of controversy over pay for fire fighters, officials say the issue is now closed.

Fire Chief Everett Chaput met with the board of selectmen on Monday, June 21, to discuss the hourly pay for his firefighters standing fire watch for local businesses.

The issue arose several weeks ago, when a water main break left Thomas Hodgson and Sons Mill without fire protection for more than a week. Chaput assigned firefighters to stand fire watch around the clock, billing the mill $100 an hour for the service. Based on the passage of a 1999 warrant article approving fees for fire watches, Chaput believed his men would be paid a $30 detail charge.

Recently, selectmen decided to not charge the mill's owners, Kennebec Weavers, because the approved article was never codified into an ordinance. The decision stirred controversy among members of the fire department who were notified they would not receive the $30 an hour pay.

"We were blindsided, as far as I'm concerned," said Selectman Sandra McKenney before the June 21 meeting.

McKenney said Chaput took it upon himself to start the fire watch and then sent a letter asking for the $30 an hour charges. When selectmen refused to pay, firefighters pulled out of the mill.

Chaput defended his decision to start the watch, saying the mill is the largest employer in Allenstown and a major fire there would be costly to the town in many ways.

Following the June 21 meeting, McKenney said the issue is closed.

"At this point, it's a dead issue as far as I'm concerned," he said. "We're not going to be charging the mill."

Chaput said he had hoped the meeting would accomplish more.

"Am I satisfied with the outcome? Not 100 percent," he said. "I would be satisfied if they at least charged (Kennebec Weavers) the actual cost of providing the fire watch."

"The mill received a service," he said, referring to the dozens of hours department personnel manned the fire watch. "I just don't think the fire department should be absorbing the cost ­ or (should) the taxpayers."

Like the other town departments, the fire department saw its budget cut after voters handed the town a default budget this past March.

McKenney said that although the issue with the Hodgson Mill is closed, the town still wants to ensure the situation will not happen again.

"We are working on an ordinance that will spell everything right out," McKenney said. "I don't expect another fire watch to be called anytime soon, but we will have something in place (next time)."

Before the ordinance is enacted, there will be a public hearing on the matter.

Graduations

Sandler surprises Central grads again

By DEVON CORMIER Staff Writer dcormier@yourneighborhoodnews.com MANCHESTER ­ Adam Sandler made it clear last night that if John Kerry skips out on another Manchester Central High School graduation, Sandler won't be filling in. Kerry was supposed to speak at last year's graduation, but canceled. His appearance this year, however, was not scheduled, despite Sandler's joke. Sandler, who surprised everyone with his appearance at last year's ceremony, saw his last family member in Central, his niece, graduate with the class of 2004. Sandler's last-minute speech induced cheers and included some brief advice: "Fill your life with fun." That sounded good to the kids in green and white robes who lined the floor of the Verizon Wireless Arena on Wednesday, June 16. Inflatable balls, bouncy balls and balloons were produced from thin air and sent flying onto the stage. Students kept the balls up as they waited for one thing ­ their diplomas.

CENTRAL ­ Manchester Central High School students gather together one last time before the graduation. From left are Ethan George of Candia, Chelsea Casavant and Samantha LeClair of Hooksett, and Nick Drouin, Kara Buck and Daryl Nault, all of Candia. (Devon Cormier Photo)

Cheers from the packed stands marked Sandler's coming and going, but got even louder for the students as they received their diplomas in rapid-fire succession. The tradition of Central pride was evident as the Class of 2004 celebrated its graduation.

As Sandler said, "Congratulations. As of today, you no longer have to eat your lunch in the school cafeteria."

MEMORIAL ­ One senior pumps his fist in a proud moment at graduation on Thursday, June 17. (Daymond Steer Photo)	WEST ­ The Class of 2004 listens to the commencement addresses at their graduation on Tuesday, June 15, at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Parents were told to be proud of the hard work they did raising their children. (Russ Choma Photo)

Hooksett

Hooksett's oldest school building closes after 67 years

By DAYMOND P. STEER
Staff Writer
daymond@yourneighborhoodnews.com

School Board Chairman Jim Sullivan handed a ceremonial key to Hooksett Village School to Town Council Chairman Michael DiBittetto during the school's closing ceremony on Wednesday, June 16. The event has caused students, teachers, staff and community members to look back at the building's history. "This is a historic event in Hooksett," said Village School Principal Carol Soucy of the closing. The school has been open at its Main Street location since 1937. The community has been very supportive of education and the staff has developed a strong attachment to the school, said Soucy. She noted that she has been happy to have "grand-students," which is what she calls the children of former students.

Hooksett Village School

Many of the staff members have been employed at the school for about 25 to 30 years, she said. Soucy herself began her career in 1975 as a Title I teacher at Village.
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"After 29 years, it's wonderful to get up each day and look forward to going to work," she said.

Current students make a tribute book

As a tribute to the school, former poet laureate Marie Harris helped students make an alphabet book called "V is for Village."

Each letter stands for an event in the school's history. "F" stands for the flood that destroyed the original building in 1936. There is also a sidebar on each letter's topic.

Fifth-grader Kris Roller illustrated the cover, which symbolizes a student leaving Village School and following his future path to college.

"I enjoyed it a lot," said fourth-grader Christina Denbow of the book-making.

"It was a fun project to do," said fifth-grader Therese Bourque.

The old days COLOR="#000000" Some residents still recall the flood of 1936. After it happened, Bernadette Chevrette said she had to attend Martin's School, which used to be located where the Deerhead Sportmen's Club is now. A bit later she was went to the Village School, where she graduated from eighth grade. A Victrola record player would play a marching song when it was time for students to go to class in the morning, said Chevrette. "That's the way it was done," she said. "I remember the flood," said resident Joe Hebert, who was 5 at the time. It completely destroyed the old school. Hebert also recalled playing baseball during recess. As for school work, subjects were the basics, like math, geography and English.

GOLDEN KEY ­ Hooksett School Board Chairman Jim Sullivan hands a ceremonial key to Hooksett Town Council Chairman Michael DiBitetto at closing ceremonies for Hooksett Village School June 16. (Daymond Steer Photo)

"They didn't have much," said Hebert, a graduate of Village School Class of 1945.

At the ceremony, Soucy read e-mailed messages from former students.

Former Village School Principal David Cawley, after whom Hooksett's new middle school is named, taught Charles Woodbury not to waste food.

In the 1961-62 school year, Cawley supervised the cafeteria and said to students, "I don't care if you like it or not ­ eat it," wrote Woodbury.

"Back in those days, most students didn't dare to go against the principal's orders," he wrote.

To get around the taste of spinach, Woodbury would mix it with a bite of chocolate cake.

"I managed to devour the whole serving of spinach, thanks to the aid of the cake, or else I swear the school janitor, Philip Lafond, would have had to be summoned to clean up the mess," wrote Woodbury.

Dan Pike, who attended Village School in 1962, also remembers Cawley as a baseball coach. "Mr. Cawley taught us how to lose with dignity and win with humility. Not easy lessons for 13- and 14-year-old boys to embrace," he wrote.

Historical notes

Looking back at the local history is important, said historical society president David Paquette. "The future rests on the facts of the past."

He provided materials that offer a look into the past.

In 1937,"many taxpayers didn't think a four-room school house was needed, but on the first day, there were 42 pupils in grades one and two, and 42 pupils in grades three and four. Children from Hackett Hill area and from River Street were bused into this new school," according to research that was done by Village School students in the 1980s.

"One teacher of note was Jennie Abbott, a native of Concord, who came here as a teacher in 1873 and taught the lower grades in the Village School until 1916, when she retired. She received the most generous salary of all Hooksett teachers ­ $110 each term," wrote Evelyn Howe for the Hooksett Historical Society.

In 1874, Abbott became the town's first librarian, according to Howe.

After the devastating flood in March of 1936, which destroyed #6 school and damaged the Holy Rosary Parochial School to the point that it did not reopen, children were bused to Martin's Corner and classes were held in Town Hall, said Kathie Northrup, chairman of the Hooksett Heritage Commission. Students were also bused to Allenstown Grammar School; tuition was paid to Allenstown for their attendance, she said.

Mixed emotions

This year, the mood at Village School is "bittersweet," said Soucy.

There is sadness, but people are excited about the new building, said fifth-grade teacher Denise Duchesne.

Duchesne, who has been at the school for 27 years, has been spending time reminiscing over photos of past students and staff.

This year's fourth-grade class will go on to Hooksett Memorial School along with staff. "I'm going to miss Village School, but I'm excited to go on to the other school," said fourth-grader Dylan Dow.

"There is a lot of emotional attachment to Village School in the community," said Soucy.

Last summer, as Soucy was locking the building, a young woman approached her.

The young woman come back from Texas to visit her family, and just wanted to see the school again, said Soucy.

"I think it's great this historic building will stay a part of the town," said Soucy.

Residents voted to accept the building at the Hooksett Town Meeting in March.

The building will become a community center, said school board member Peggy Teravainen.

Fourth- and fifth-graders who would have attended Village School in the fall will move to the newly renovated Hooksett Memorial School, where they will be joined by third-graders. Fred C. Underhill School's overcrowding will be relieved by the move. It will house kindergartners and first- and second-graders this fall.